If you’re on Twitter, it’s very hard to escape discussions about Clubhouse — the audio-based social network that lets you chat with other people in real-time. It’s whipping up such a storm that Facebook has decided to make its own version.
According to a report from The New York Times, the social network is experimenting with building an audio product that’s akin to Clubhouse. This development comes days after Mark Zuckerberg made an appearance on the audio-based app last week, to talk about augmented reality and virtual reality.
[Read: How Polestar is using blockchain to increase transparency]
A Facebook spokesperson told NYT, “We’ve been connecting people through audio and video technologies for many years and are always exploring new ways to improve that experience for people.”
The 💜 of EU tech
The latest rumblings from the EU tech scene, a story from our wise ol' founder Boris, and some questionable AI art. It's free, every week, in your inbox. Sign up now!
The social networking giant is not averse to cloning products. In past, it has copied Snapchat’s Stories and TikTok-like short videos to Instagram. And because of its scale, a Clubhouse-clone might find a lot of takers in the Facebook app universe.
Facebook is not the only one dipping its toes into live audio chat water. Twitter is already experimenting with its product called Spaces, giving limited user access for the first phase.
After a wave of short video products, people are looking to try out something new in the social media world, and live audio might be the next big thing. Users are spending many hours per week on Clubhouse listening to various talks and joining different clubs to talk about their interests. There’s no wonder why Facebook wants to cash in on this phenomenon.
Get the TNW newsletter
Get the most important tech news in your inbox each week.